Post by ShirQuickpaw on Nov 18, 2012 16:51:49 GMT -5
Awareness.
Slowly I felt awareness to trickle back into my mind. With the sensations of smell, touch and sound restoring themselves, they brought a sense of orientation with them. I knew when I would open my eyes, I would sit in almost darkness. Only the fleck of light which would mark the entrance to the den I had hidden myself for...I actually couldn't say how long I had hidden away from all and everyone.
My ears swiveld towards the entrance where I could only hear the sounds of an early afternoon. Muted voices further away. The distant sounds of cars and other city sounds brought over by the soft wind of the direction of the human world beyond the junkyard. It almost felt like a normal day out there, if... If not for the horrible fire I could still see and hear burning in my mind.
I bit my lower lip as the grief tried to overwhelm me again. Old Deuteronomy, our revered leader and Gus, one of our most respected elders, both dead. Fallen victims to the flames. Hot tears filled my eyes, but I tried to keep them inside. As brutal and horrible their death were, they weren't the worst by far. Instead of taking up the mantle of leadership after the death of his father which was his by right and line of succession, Munkustrap had fled the junkyard. I still couldn't believe, what and driven him to such a decision.
All the time he stood in Old Deuteronomy's stead when our leader wasn't around, being the protector of our tribe, he never showed any sign, that he felt uncomfortable in the position. Rather the opposite, he succeeded in gaining the trust and love of the whole tribe. I knew I would have followed him without any question. But he left, as soon as it was for sure that his father had perished in the flames.
The Rum Tum Tugger tried to hold him back without much success. After a very short but forceful fight with a lot of shouting on both sides, he left his half-brother standing in the chaos the flames had wrought. I recall the look of defeat on Tugger's face. He had just lost his father in the flames, was even with him when he died and then the one block of trust he always thought a constant abandoned him ... all of us.
I saw how his posture changed and a determination found its way into his stance, something which looked strange on the Tugger I ... we remember. He then started to help and coordinate the clean up. He kept the panic among us to a minimum, gave us a focus, kept us a tribe, a family. Until ... Until Alonzo started to challenge him.
Alonzo being Munkustrap's closest friend and follower didn't seem to be able to deal with a Tugger in charge, regardless how much good he was already doing. He accused Tugger of having no right to take over the vacant position of leader and that with his history in the tribe he would never be fit to fill the shoes Old Deuteronomy and Munkustrap left behind. Alonzo had turned to all of us, almost preaching, that Tugger was unfit and that it would spell the destruction of the tribe, if we would let this irresponsible and contradictory tom lead us.
As I watched the faces of the others, I started to see the rift begin. Half of us there showed clear signs that they believed Alonzo, others stood strong in their belief of the Tugger, especially those had witnessed his very recent efforts right after the fire, me among them. A lot didn't seem to sway one way or the other, confusion clearly showing on their faces.
Shortly after this first public shouting match between Alonzo and Tugger, the "talks" started. Like the fire had spread through homes, these talks spread through our tribe. Jellicles on Alonzo's side arguing with those on Tugger's. At first they wee only arguing, but soon as much Alonzo and Tugger couldn't find common ground, so couldn't they. Fights were becoming the common view regardless where you turned. That was the reason I escaped into this remote den, a black hide-away, so I didn't need to see and hear how my family broke apart around me.
